renewing the sustainable energy curriculum – combining ... · industry input to develop...
TRANSCRIPT
Renewing the Sustainable Energy Curriculum – Combining Theory and
Industry Input to Develop Multidisciplinary Tertiary Curriculum Frameworks
The Issue
1990’s – several Australian Universities developed renewable energy coursework programs – some world leading. Curriculums & course content academic driven and developed – little input from industry. Twenty years on – sustainable energy technologies, policy environment, skills and knowledge required has changed significantly – still rapidly changing. University programs and content – seen as not changed and not moved on. Student aspirations of career in industry – graduates need current knowledge and relevant capabilities.
Revising the Curriculum – How Hard Can That Be?
“Curriculum renewal in higher education can be difficult, time-consuming, and arduous, but the payoff is a curriculum that is current, responsive, proactive and effective.”
(ALTC Good Practice Report: Curriculum Renewal, Narayan and Edwards, 2011).
Ongoing curriculum renewal is more difficult but vital for programs and courses preparing graduates to work in a specialised, multidisciplinary, rapidly changing field.
This presentation follows the journey of the Office of Learning and Teaching (OLT) funded “Renewing the Sustainable Energy Curriculum Project” team as they sought to develop a set of industry guided, internationally relevant, tertiary level sustainable energy curriculum frameworks.
Aim and Outcomes
Outcome:
A list of sustainable energy skills, knowledge and graduate attributes required by employers, which are formulated into curriculum frameworks with learning outcomes.
Curriculum frameworks designed to be used to assess the suitability of existing curricula and courses, guide redevelopment of the courses as required, or guide the development of new offerings.
Aim: Scope and develop sustainable energy curriculum frameworks for (Australian) higher education institutions that meet the needs of domestic and international student graduates and employers, both now and into the near future.
There are essentially 6 types of existing Sustainable Energy (SE) coursework programs:
• Named undergraduate engineering degrees (e.g. BEng in RE Engineering);
• Named undergraduate multidisciplinary degrees (e.g. BSc in Sustainable Energy Management);
• Named postgraduate engineering degrees (e.g. MEng Sustainable Energy Engineering);
• Named postgraduate multidisciplinary degrees (e.g. MSc in Renewable Energy, Masters of Energy Studies).
• Majors or specialisations in conventional undergraduate degrees (e.g. BEng Electrical – specialisation in renewable energy);
• Majors or specialisations in conventional postgraduate degrees (e.g. MEng Electrical – specialisation in renewable energy);
Characteristics of SE Programs
What is a Curriculum Framework ?
Environmental Engineering Capability Cube (From Dowling and Hadgraft, 2013)
Generic Graduate Capabilities Framework (From Macquarie University)
https://staff.mq.edu.au/teaching/curriculum_development/graduate_capabilities/gradcaps_faqs/
https://eprints.usq.edu.au/22746/1/015.pdf
Generic Capabilities
What capabilities should SE graduates have?
Curriculum Frameworks Development
Capability Cube*
Sustainable Energy Knowledge Taxonomies Sustainable Energy Capability Cloths
Sustainable Energy Curriculum Frameworks
Existing national & international program/course content, skills reports, practical industry experience – project team workshop
Graduate and industry surveys & interviews, curriculum mapping – project team workshop
*From David Dowling and Roger Hadgraft “A graduate capability framework for Environmental
Engineering degree programs. A Guide for Australian Universities”, (2013)
Generic and Discipline Capability Taxonomy
Sustainable Energy Knowledge Taxonomies
Sustainable Energy Capabilities Cloths
Curriculum Frameworks Development
Capability Cube*
Sustainable Energy Knowledge Taxonomies Sustainable Energy Capability Cloths
Sustainable Energy Curriculum Frameworks
Existing national & international program/course content, skills reports, practical industry experience – project team workshop
Graduate and industry surveys & interviews, curriculum mapping – project team workshop
*From David Dowling and Roger Hadgraft “A graduate capability framework for Environmental
Engineering degree programs. A Guide for Australian Universities”, (2013)
Generic and Discipline Capability Taxonomy
Generic and Discipline Specific Capability Taxonomies
Curriculum Frameworks - Relationship Map
The Curriculum Frameworks
Prerequisites and discipline capabilities
Introductory knowledge all SE graduates know
Gives the specialisation
Deeper knowledge
The Curriculum Frameworks
Trialled and confirmed use to:
• Assess the suitability of existing curricula and courses
• Guide redevelopment of courses as required
• Guide the development of new offerings.
Success factors
Critical Elements along the Way A project leader with significant experience in both academia and industry
Multidisciplinary team
• discipline specialists
• educational specialist (curriculum design expertise and non discipline fresh set of eyes)
• Research assistant with both a science and arts background
Existing validated framework to adapt and extend
Extensive input from both industry and graduates – gaining buy-in
• throughout the development
• for validation of the framework
Input from Industry Skill and Knowledge Requirements - Industry
Degree type*
N Not at all important
Somewhat important
Important Very important
Power Generation Technologies
Eng. 31 6% 17% 42% 35% Multi. 17 25% 6% 25% 44%
All 64 11% 11% 36% 42% Generic Skills & Professional Attributes
Eng. 31 0 9% 28% 63% Multi. 17 6% 0 31% 63%
All 64 2% 4% 33% 61% Energy Solutions for Developing Countries
Eng. 31 46% 27% 0% 27% Multi. 17 63% 13% 18% 6%
All 64 49% 22% 7% 22% Energy Efficiency Eng. 31 33% 47% 13% 7%
Multi. 17 31% 25% 37% 6% All 64 33% 37% 22% 8%
Transmission, Storage & Network Systems
Eng. 31 10% 22% 10% 58% Multi. 17 7% 33% 27% 33%
All 64 7% 28% 19% 46% Sustainable Transport
Eng. 31 13% 27% 37% 23% Multi. 17 13% 31% 44% 12%
All 64 11% 26% 39% 24% Enablers (Policy, Economics etc.)
Eng. 31 13% 13% 42% 32% Multi. 17 6% 0 44% 50%
All 64 9% 15% 40% 36%
Degree
type N Need for inclusion Core or
Elective Coverage rating
Not needed
Needed Essential Core Elect Some Medium Extensive
Power Generation Technologies - Established Renewables
Eng. 24 Essential 95% Core 90% Extensive 75%
Multi. 11 Essential 100% Core 100% Extensive 70%
Solar PV Eng. 24 Essential 90% Core 90% Extensive 85% Multi. 11 Essential 80% Core 90% Extensive 70%
Solar Thermal Eng. 24 Essential 75% Core 65% Extensive 65%
Multi. 11 Essential 65% Core/Elective
50% Extensive 70%
Wind Eng. 24 Essential 75% Core 80% Extensive 70% Multi. 11 Essential 65% Core 65% Extensive 55%
Hydropower Eng. 24 Essential 55% Core 55% Extensive 50% Multi. 11 Needed/Essential 45% Elective 65% Medium 55%
Hydro Geothermal Eng. 24 Needed 60% Elective 65% Some/medium/Extensive 33% Multi. 11 Needed 55% Elective 65% Some 55%
Biomass (including Waste to Energy) Eng. 24 Essential 55%
Core/Elective 50%
Extensive 55%
Multi. 11 Needed 65% Elective 65% Some/Medium 45%
• Online surveys (and some interviews) of graduates (via member alumni lists) and industry representatives (industry association members)
• Frameworks being validated by industry as well as academics
Barriers/speed humps
• No existing framework or methodology for mapping such a complex multidisciplinary field at Tertiary level could be found – one had to be developed.
• The multidisciplinary aspect can lead to more complexity which takes more time.
Unexpected bonuses
• Provides framework and approach for easy ongoing revision.
• Internationally significant and applicable.
• The framework and approach provides a process for others in complex multidisciplinary fields more generally.
Speed Humps and Gold Nuggets
More Information
More information. • Copies of draft SE Knowledge Taxonomies, SE
Capability Cloths and SE Curriculum Frameworks with narrative.
• Project Publications. • Blog.
on the project website: http://www.murdoch.edu.au/projects/secfp/
Contact: [email protected]
The Team
Support for this project has been provided by the Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching. The views in this project/activity do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching.
Chris Lund, Trevor Pryor, Philip Jennings, and Amanda Woods-McConney, Emiko Watanabe - Murdoch University Kim Blackmore - Australian National University Richard Corkish - University of New South Wales Wasim Saman - University of South Australia Wendy Miller - Queensland University of Technology